The proposed U.S. sale of F110 engines for Türkiye’s first fighter jet KAAN has cleared a key congressional hurdle after Congress did not oppose the bid during the 15-day review period.
Following the U.S. State Department’s formal notification to Congress on June 24, regarding the proposed foreign military sale, several members of Congress introduced a joint resolution seeking to halt the sale during the 15-day review period applicable to NATO allies.
The joint resolution, signed by nine members of Congress and submitted to both the House of Representatives and the Senate, called for blocking the planned sale of certain defense equipment, services and related support to Türkiye.
However, the resolution was not brought to the floor of either the House or the Senate before the review period expired.
As a result, when the 15-day review period concluded on July 9, the sale of the F110 engines moved forward without facing any congressional obstacle.
In the next phase, technical and commercial negotiations concerning the procurement of the F110 engines will continue between the U.S. administration, the relevant government agencies, the engine manufacturer and the appropriate Turkish authorities.
Future discussions are expected to focus on the delivery schedule, engine integration, testing and certification activities.
The notified sale covers the integration, assembly, external modification, certification, testing, defense services, and technical data transfer related to the F110-GE-129E/F engines that will power the KAAN fighter aircraft.
The development came as U.S. President Donald Trump said on July 7 that Washington will lift sanctions on Türkiye, marking a potential breakthrough in defense ties between the NATO allies as he met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ahead of a key alliance summit in Ankara.
Several media reports last week said that the Trump administration was expected to move forward with a proposed $750 million sale of F-110 jet engines to Türkiye.
The engines, made by General Electric, will be used to power Türkiye’s first domestically developed fighter jet, KAAN.
The joint resolution to halt the sale was introduced by Democratic Representative Dina Titus of Nevada, with the support of eight additional Democratic members of Congress.
Among the signatories were several lawmakers who have previously opposed defense sales to Türkiye, including Brad Sherman, Dina Titus, Chris Pappas, and Jim McGovern, all of whom had objected to earlier defense exports such as the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye.
Other supporters of the resolution, including Jim Costa, Josh Gottheimer, Mike Quigley, and George Latimer, represent districts with influential Armenian, Greek and Israeli diaspora communities. These lawmakers have frequently been associated with congressional opposition to defense sales involving Türkiye.
